DUBAL technology selected by Aluminium Bahrain

Dubai Aluminium signed an agreement with Aluminium Bahrain whereby the latter will use DUBAL’s DX+ Technology for Alba’s Line 6 Bankable Feasibility Study.

Dubai Aluminium DUBAL the entirely state-owned entity that operates the world’s largest single-site primary aluminium smelter using pre-baked anode technology today signed an agreement with Aluminium Bahrain BSC Alba whereby the latter will use DUBAL’s DX+ Technology for Alba’s Line 6 Bankable Feasibility Study. Abdulla Kalban President & CEO: DUBAL and Tim Murray (CEO: Alba) were the signatories to the agreement.

Murray advises that the Line 6 Bankable Feasibility Study will determine the viability of Alba’s sixth potline expansion project, which is expected to boost Alba’s annual production capacity by approximately 400,000 tonnes of aluminium per year. This will boost Alba’s current annual capacity of 880,000 tonnes to 1.280 million tonnes.

DX+ Technology is the product of on-going research and development work at DUBAL. Essentially an enhanced version of DUBAL’s proven, inherently robust DX Technology, DX+ Technology is designed to operate at higher amperages and optimized performance levels. Five DX+ Technology cells, built in a pilot line at DUBAL’s Jebel Ali site in 2010, initially operated at 420 kA and currently operate stably at 440 kA. At this level, the DX+ Technology cells yield substantially better energy efficiency and specific energy consumption levels than DX Technology cells; and produce 3,37 tonnes of aluminium per pot per day. Ultimately, DX+ Technology cells are expected to operate at 460 kA.

DUBAL’s DX+ Technology has been licensed to EMAL Phase II, where it is being installed in a new 440-cell potline that is currently under construction with a nameplate capacity of 520,000 tonnes per year (at 420 kA). DUBAL has undertaken to implement any advances in the technology at EMAL Phase II, such that the new potline is expected to operate at 440 kA at start-up (scheduled for end-2013).

While in the UAE, the Alba delegation visited DUBAL’s Potline 8 – a dedicated 40-cell potline within the greater smelter operations where DUBAL’s proprietary, in-house developed DX Technology has been fully operational since February 2008; and DUBAL’s DX+ Technology pilot section. The Alba delegates were also accompanied on a tour of Emirates Aluminium (“EMAL”) in Al Taweelah, Abu Dhabi – where 756 DX Technology cells, arranged in two potlines, have been fully operational at EMAL Phase I since the end of December 2010.

“DUBAL’s reduction technologies have been designed, fully-modelled and extensively tested. The results consistently confirm that both DX and DX+ Technology operate stably, demonstrating not only the robustness of their design but also the suitability of both to the Gulf climate,” says Kalban. “We are delighted that Alba has recognized these qualities as evidenced by the selection of DX+ Technology for the Line 6 Bankable Feasibility Study.”